How To Beat An Overpriced Wine List

 

These days, most wine lists are on restaurant websites. If the wine list isn’t there, consider an alternative eating establishment. If it is, look up a few interesting bottles on wine-searcher.com, a free site that provides the retail price of almost every wine. If the price on the wine list is just a little more than twice the retail price, the restaurant deserves your business. If the wine-list price is three or four times the price, dine elsewhere.

Learn a little about vintages. Memorize a few good years from regions you like. The German Rieslings or Loire Valley Chenin Blancs—2008 through 2010 for the Loire, almost anything back to 2001 for Germany. Both wines age beautifully, even if they are whites. Look for 2006 through 2010 reds from the Languedoc-Roussillon. Barberas and Dolcettos from Italy, and you can go all the way back to 2004 with those—but ask the sommelier if the older ones are drinking well. Now or then try a 2009 or a 2011 German or Austrian Pinot Noir—often called Spätburgunder in Germany and Blauburgunder in Austria. Vintage years are the ultimate leaps of faith. If you know a few very good years, you can be daring and order wines from obscure producers. The prices are certain to be sensible.

Arrive at the restaurant before your guests. Take a look at the wine list. See if bottles were added since you checked the website. Make sure the wines you investigated and hoped to order are still available. (Try to remain calm if they have disappeared.) Think of the exploration as a scavenger hunt conducted from a soft chair.

Beware of snappy adjectives. When talking to the sommelier, stick to basics: red or white, sweet or dry, fat or lean, oaky or not oaky. Cherish plain talk. If he starts talking about lavender petals and garrigue, put your head on the table and pretend you’ve fallen asleep. Maybe he’ll go away.

Cherish the sommelier who tries to understand what you like and doesn’t just tell you what he likes.If you’re considering a bottle that’s also sold by the glass, a good sommelier will offer you a taste. If you give the sommelier the price you hope to spend—yes, you must have the courage to speak up—he should stay within that range. Make him go away if he goes above.

Strike when you spot a bargain. You always have to be ready with an underpriced white, something you can order quickly and confidently to begin the meal. It’s important to get wine to the table fast. You can choose from three wines: from Spain, Verdejos (delicate) and Godellos (more robust). From Argentina, Torrontés (fruity). Want to wow the sommelier? Ask for a still wine made from Spain’s Xarel-lo grape. Smile modestly when he looks at you with awe.

Seek out the secret stash. Most sommeliers have wines they particularly like that they save for people they particularly like. Start by asking the sommelier where she’s from. Often such wines are their favorites and chances are they will be reasonably priced.

Remember the names of top importers, people like Eric Solomon, Kermit Lynch, Terry Theise, and Neal Rosenthal. Ask the sommelier if he has any wines from them. He might never have heard such a question. He will be impressed.

Sign up for e-newsletters from restaurants you like. 
Follow them on Twitter. Like them on Facebook. Restaurants frequently have nights when the list is discounted or guests can bring bottles without paying corkage.

Indulge if you dare. Who doesn’t want something special for a birthday or an anniversary? But beware of counterfeit wines. If you’re dabbling in the old or the pricey, you need absolute confidence in the sommelier’s ability to know what’s authentic. You can always ask how the restaurant acquired the wine. You might be surprised.